An optical metronome using sheets of music of non-sagging sheets of translucent material with notes spaced according to their value and vertically aligned measures on a display panel of light columns formed of vertical bars of triangular cross-section in white reflectors with an angular air gap and a light source for each bar. Circuitry coordinates sequential lighting of the bars in proper musical tempo and properly placed downbeat and is also attached or attachable to electronic organ circuitry or stands alone with automatic turn-off of lights to the bars if organ not counting.

An optical metronome using sheets of music of non-sagging sheets of translucent material with notes spaced according to their value and vertically aligned measures on a display panel of light columns formed of vertical bars of triangular cross-section in white reflectors with an angular air gap and a light source for each bar. Circuitry coordinates sequential lighting of the bars in proper musical tempo and properly placed downbeat and is also attached or attachable to electronic organ circuitry or stands alone with automatic turn-off of lights to the bars if organ not counting.

A microprocessor-based processing system for monitoring the tempo rate and rhythm in an electronic musical instrument having an automatic rhythm accompaniment unit. In a first mode of operation, the monitor displays the tempo of the rhythm accompaniment unit in numeric characters representing the number of beats per minute. In a second mode of operation, the monitor displays a numerical 1 representing the down beat in a first display device, a numerical 2 representing the second beat in adjoining display device, and successively incremented numerical integers associated with successive beats in successive numerical display devices until all numerical integers associated with beats have been displayed, thereby producing a timing display having a motion effect for synchronizing the music being played with the rhythm accompaniment tempo.